The spinal column of a patient includes a plurality of vertebrae linked to one another by facet joints and an intervertebral disc located between adjacent vertebrae. The facet joints and intervertebral disc allow one vertebra to move relative to an adjacent vertebra, providing the spinal column a range of motion. Diseased, degenerated, damaged, or otherwise impaired facet joints and/or intervertebral discs may cause the patient to experience pain or discomfort and/or loss of motion, thus prompting surgery to alleviate the pain and/or restore motion of the spinal column. In other instances, the spinal column may include an abnormal curvature, such as scoliosis, prompting remedial measures to attempt to correct or reduce the abnormal curvature.
One possible method of treating these conditions is to stabilize a portion of the spine to allow treatment, reduce curvature, and/or offload compressive loading along a portion of the spine. Traditionally, stabilization has been accomplished by securing a stabilization construct to two or more vertebrae using vertebral anchors, such as pedicle screws installed into bony portions of the vertebrae, such as the pedicles. In such instances, the vertebrae must be modified, such as by drilling holes into the bone, in order to install the pedicle screws, thus impairing the structural integrity of the vertebrae. In some instances, there may be insufficient bony anatomy in which to install a pedicle screw, thus preventing the use of conventional pedicle screw based stabilization constructs.
In some instances, however, it may be desirable or necessary to secure a stabilization construct to one or more vertebrae of a spinal segment, or another bony anatomy, without irreversibly altering or impairing the bone member to which the stabilization construct is secured to. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide alternative bone anchoring devices which may be secured to one or more vertebrae of a spinal segment of a spinal column, or another bony anatomy, in a non-invasive manner without the use of a pedicle screw, or otherwise invasively altering or impairing the integrity of the bone member, thereby preserving the bony anatomy while still anchoring to the bone member.